


Those Three Words

by shades_0f_cool



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Domestic Ereri, Domestic Fluff, Eren is adorable, Established Relationship, Fluff, Grocery Shopping, Humour, Levi owns a tea shop, M/M, age gap, conflicted Levi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-07-15
Packaged: 2019-06-10 19:45:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15298701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shades_0f_cool/pseuds/shades_0f_cool
Summary: When Levi has to do some shopping for his tea shop, Eren insists on tagging along. Eren turns the normally boring task into an adventure, which sends Levi’s feelings on an adventure of their own.





	Those Three Words

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ageha_Sakura](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ageha_Sakura/gifts).



> Written in collaboration with Reluctant_Hero. 
> 
> The happiest of birthdays to our dearest [Ageha_Sakura](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ageha_Sakura/pseuds/Ageha_Sakura)!
> 
> We decided to write you the fluffiest domestic Grocereri (shout out to the birthday person for the amazing name) we could to celebrate!  
> You’re amazing, we love you, and we hope you have a spectacular birthday!
> 
> <3

Levi looked around the storage room, clipboard in hand as he counted his inventory, the tea shop still dark as the sky outside hinted at the purple and orange swirls of the rising sun.

Levi liked the quiet, though he liked his tea shop too. It had been a dream of his for years, one that he had worked hard to obtain and had been running it fairly smoothly for the past two years, but the early morning, just before sunrise when everything was quiet and calm, while the rest of the world was still asleep; that was his favorite.

He counted his supplies silently, making note of the ingredients he was beginning to run low on and the things he needed to pick up later that day, tidying up the shelves as he went and trying not to complain about his employees lack or organization, even if it was only in his head.

He heard the creak before anything else; the door leading to his apartment above the shop never silent no matter how often Levi greased it. He looked up with a soft smile as a sleepy looking Eren walked towards him, sliding his arms around Levi’s waist and resting his chin on his shoulder as Levi leaned back into him with a smile.

“It’s early,” Eren mumbled.

“It is. Why are up?” Levi chuckled softly.

“I missed you,” Eren whispered, nuzzling the side of Levi’s face with his nose.

Levi couldn’t help but laugh as his heart ached pleasantly. Eren was adorable, especially when he was sleepy; with his outrageous bed head, ratty old band T-shirt, and snug fitting boxers as he leaned on Levi with his eyes closed.

They had been dating only a few months, but Levi had no plans of letting go just yet. It had taken them a long time to get to this point; they had met not long after Levi had opened the shop, Eren being friends with Levi’s baker. As always Levi pushed away any thoughts of a romantic interest; he was busy, he had just opened a tea shop, all of his time was spent trying not to let the place go under, not to mention he was a decade older than Eren.

Eren was persistent. One quality that Levi hated and admired about the younger man was his inability to let things go; if he wanted something, he was going to have it. After more than a year of simple talking and flirting, getting to know each other, and Levi’s feelings growing uncomfortably strong, it was all over for Levi when Eren walked into his shop with someone else on his arm.

Levi had never been jealous. He had never cared about a romantic interest enough to feel jealousy over someone being too close, but when he watched Eren walk in with a petite blond angel on his arm and a smile on his face, Levi snapped.

Not obviously of course, he wasn’t considered cold and unapproachable for nothing; his face held no emotion as he watched Eren order for them both before leading the beautiful blond girl to his usual table.  

Levi felt foolish when he realized he had been played, when Eren had confessed a week later that Krista was just a good friend of his and they had been testing him. Levi wanted to be angry, he had tried to be angry with Eren but it had been no use when Eren had only proved what that had both already known; what Levi had just been too stubborn to admit.

The rest was history, a romantic tale that led to this very storage room at 5am on a Sunday morning. Levi turned in Eren’s arms, reaching up on his toes to kiss his boyfriend softly on the lips.

“Why don’t you go back to bed for a few hours, I’m just doing inventory,” Levi said.

“Will you come with me?” Eren asked, his big green eyes pleading.

“How about I finish up here then I’ll come up for a bit before opening,” Levi suggested.

“I can wait,” Eren said, pulling Levi a little tighter.

“Well, Jean usually comes in for prep at 5:30, I don’t think he’s going to want to see you in your underwear.” Levi smiled.

“Fuck Jean, he wishes he could see me in my underwear.” Eren scoffed.

“Fine, _I_ don’t want him to see you in your underwear. I also don’t want you anywhere near my baked goods without pants and your hair looking like that.” Levi glared.

“Alright fine, I’ll go. Promise you’ll be up soon?” Eren asked.

“As soon as I can.” Levi smiled as Eren leaned down for another kiss before making his way back up the stairs.

Levi watching after Eren, a soft sigh on his lips. He liked Jean a lot. He was a good baker, a good friend, and the reason Levi had met Eren, but there was no way Levi was allowing Jean or anyone else to see Eren’s ass and thighs looking as good as they did in those tight boxer briefs.

Levi sighed dreamily before he continued his count, finishing quickly and even leaving the list for later so he could climb back in bed with Eren, wrapping his arm around the sleeping man and dozing for a few extra minutes.

“You’re always working,” Eren mumbled, turning over some time later. Levi had already cuddled with him, showered, and opened the shop while Eren slept, now he sat against his headboard with his clipboard and morning tea as his employees ran the shop downstairs.

“I run a business.” Levi smiled, moving his glasses to the top of his head as he looked down at Eren.

“I know, but you should relax sometimes,” Eren said, shimmying closer to him and wrapping an arm around his waist.

“I do relax, a lot more than I used to anyway. Thanks to you,” Levi said as he ran his fingers through Eren’s hair, three words on the tip of his tongue, fighting their way through his lips, though Levi unsure if he was ready for them just yet.

“Good. Are you almost finished with your inventory?” Eren asked.

“All done. Just making a list of things I need to pick up,” Levi said.

“Don’t you get that stuff delivered?” Eren asked, nuzzling into Levi’s abdomen.

“I get my tea delivered because it’s high quality specialty teas, but this is a small shop and my bakers make almost everything from scratch, it’s actually cheaper for me to pick the rest up myself,” Levi explained.

“At Costco?” Eren asked curiously.

“Nah, The Restaurant Depot.” Levi said, almost spilling his tea as Eren sat up abruptly.

“That big warehouse store, over by the highway?!” Eren asked, a sparkle in his eyes.

“Yeah…” Levi said, he had never seen someone so interested in a grocery store before.

“Can I come?” Eren asked.

“Why?” Levi asked.

“Because I’ve never been in there!” Eren exclaimed.

“So?” Levi couldn’t help but to laugh at the obvious excitement on Eren’s face.

“When I was a kid we used to skateboard in the parking lot, I used to see people coming out with these huge piles of bulk groceries and I just thought it was so cool. I’ve always wanted to go in!” Eren explained.

“You are such a weirdo.” Levi smiled, chest aching at the adorableness of the man beside him.

“That’s part of my charm though… right?” Eren asked with a playful grin.

“It is.” Levi laughed, pulling him in for a quick kiss. “Get ready, we’re leaving in 30 minutes.”

Eren jumped out of bed, heading to the shower while Levi finished his list, both of them climbing into Levi’s truck 65 minutes later and heading off toward the Restaurant Depot.

Eren was practically jittering in his seat, Levi had no idea what made the man so excited for a boring grocery trip, but he also found it endearing how excited and adorable Eren could be.

“Hey look, the little merry-go-round is still there! This is so cool! Look how big the carts are! Oh my god! Can we get a flatbed?” Eren exclaimed as they walked through the entrance, Levi digging his membership out of his wallet.

“Eren, if you don’t calm down I’m not letting you come in,” Levi snapped, shooting Eren a glare.

“Sorry,” Eren mumbled, noticeably willing himself to hold still as he walked beside Levi, like a proper adult.

Levi suppressed the smile that once again threatened to take over his lips; he and Eren were so different. Levi was stoic and quiet, he rarely brought attention to himself in public, and would never do something odd just for the fun of it.

Eren was full of life and energy, he found a way to make even the most menial tasks fun and exciting, and he was always the center of attention.

Levi was unbothered by their differences, to be honest, they were what made Levi love being with Eren, though that didn’t mean he was going to outright admit it.

“Fine, get the flatbed,” Levi huffed, rolling his eyes and watching as a grin as bright as the sun stretched over Eren’s face before he dashed toward the flatbed carts.

“But we’re going to look stupid. We don’t have that much to pick up,” Levi called after Eren.

Levi laughed as Eren pushed it proudly towards him, those words beginning to form on the tip of his tongue once more before he swallowed them back down.

“Oh! Let’s go over here!” Eren said, moving quickly toward the aisles. Levi didn’t need anything in those aisles, he already had all the appliances and tools he needed to run his shop, but how could he say no when Eren seemed so happy?

“Ooh, this is cool, you should get one of these!” Eren said, fawning over the shiny chrome finish.

“Eren, that’s an espresso machine. I run a tea shop,” Levi deadpanned.

“Right. Well, it does look cool,” Eren said, moving along.

“It does, and the café across the street has one just like it.” Levi smiled as Eren opened his mouth to say something, only to realize Levi’s point and close it again before they continued down the aisle.

“Ooh, what about this?” Eren asked in the next aisle, holding up a t-shaped utensil.

“A meat tenderizer?” Levi raised a brow.

“Oh. Okay maybe not then. It looked cool,” Eren smiled bashfully.

“You’re cute,” Levi laughed quietly, earning himself another grin from Eren as the younger man stood a little closer to him while they walked toward the next section.

After a few more detours, and Eren’s ridiculous questions and suggestions, they finally they made it to the baking aisles; Levi loading some bags of flour, sugar, and various other ingredients onto their cart and checking them off his list.

“Oooh, what about these?” Eren called from the refrigerated section nearby, holding up a large box of assorted ready to bake cookie dough.

“Are you trying to offend Jean? Actually, don’t answer that.” Levi shook his head, “Everything in the shop is made from scratch,” he added.

“But these are so good!” Eren whined, “They like they ones they had at the sandwich shop I used to work at.”

“And like when you worked at that sandwich shop, you’ll probably eat more of them raw than I’d ever end up selling,” Levi said, pushing the cart toward Eren, taking the box from his hands with a playful glare, and putting it back in the freezer; ignoring the taller man’s pout.

“Come on, there are a few things I need over here,” Levi said, bumping Eren’s shoulder lightly, to turn the pout into his beautiful smile once more and leading them farther down the store.

“This really is amazing, isn’t it? I mean, there’s so much stuff, how do you come here so often and not end up buying everything?” Eren asked.

There was genuine wonder in his voice. Levi hid his smile, or tried to, anyway. It was this natural, excitable side of Eren that had Levi speechless on a regular basis. Sure, there was also the side of him where he was amazing at dirty talk or even more amazing at all the things he could do in the bedroom, but his sweet innocence was special. Maybe solely because there weren’t many people who had it, especially not at twenty-one years old.   

“It’s called being a reasonable adult,” Levi said. “Don’t worry, you’ll learn it. Eventually.”

That had Eren pouting, but only for second, because then he broke out in laughter and playfully bumped Levi’s shoulder. “You should be happy for this hot young piece of ass you get to call your boyfriend, mister. Show some gratitude.”

Levi steered their cart down another aisle in an attempt to obscure just how close to home Eren’s good-natured jab had hit. If Eren only knew _how_ grateful he was. He was like a burst of color in a life that used to be pretty much black and white with the occasional speck of gray in between. He was what changed every aspect about Levi’s life for the better.

“Wow! That’s a lot of booze,” Eren said, stopping in front of the shelves and letting his eyes wander over the bottles, “We should get some!” he added with a smirk.

“I run a _tea_ shop,” Levi said flatly.

“I know,” Eren dragged out the word quietly, placing his hands on Levi’s hips and pulling him closer, “but maybe we could have some fun later,” he added , his voice husky and his eyes dark as he looked into Levi’s.

This wasn’t the first time Levi had gotten lost in Eren’s eyes, it was hard not to lose yourself in the endless oceans that swirled with determination, adoration, and mischief.

Levi cleared his throat, pulling himself away from Eren’s arms reluctantly and shaking the haze from his head. Eren had a way of consuming him and his inhibitions along with him, another thing Levi loved about the younger man, but he’d rather not make a scene in the middle of the Restaurant Depot.  

“We both have work in the morning,” Levi said, straightening himself and hoping his face was not as flushed as it felt as he continued on his way, though by the look of the small smirk on Eren’s face as he caught up, Levi’s wish had not been fulfilled.

Levi stopped their cart in front of the fresh fruit aisle and nodded towards the neatly arranged packed berries. “We need four packages of strawberries for Jean’s shortcakes and two packages of blueberries for the cupcakes. You mind getting them for me?”

Levi couldn’t help the fond smile growing on his lips as he watched Eren snap to attention, leaning forward to pick up packages, only to put them away when the content didn’t meet his expectations. Levi was quite content just watching Eren on his mission to choose the perfect berries, and a mission, it was. He was being so meticulous, it was absolutely endearing to look at him.

Finally, he made his decision and put the chosen packages in the cart. “Done,” he said with a grin. “Aren’t I a great assistant? Oh wait, no. Make that the _best_ assistant.”

Eren was obviously holding out for praise, and Levi didn’t see why he shouldn’t get it. He _was_ taking this pretty seriously, which truly made him a man after Levi’s own taste. Picking the right ingredients was essential when it came to serving and keeping customers after all.

So - in a move rather untypical for Levi - he reached out and ruffled Eren’s hair. It was fluffy and soft against his palm, just like always when he’d freshly washed it. Levi knew that when he leaned in just a tiny bit, he could smell the lovely scent of vanilla and mint on the chocolate strands.

“You’re a pretty good assistant, I’ll admit,” Levi said. Eren nodded to himself and nudged Levi’s hand with his head for more touch.

“Alright, last thing. Cherry or lemon?” Levi asked, pulling two bags of filling out of the refrigerator.

“You’re letting me pick?” Eren asked, eyes wide with excited surprise.

“Filling is the only thing Jean doesn’t make from scratch, so yes, I’m letting you pick.” Levi smiled.

“Cherry!” Eren grinned after a short moment of thought.

“I like cherry too,” Levi said, putting the lemon back in the cooler, a fuzzy feeling settling in his chest at the sight of Eren’s happiness over the simple task, and those words floating through his mind once again.

Eren helped Levi push the cart toward the checkout, their hands pressed together a they both held the rail; neither of them needing help to push the partially filled flatbed cart, though neither wanting to step away from the other either.

Eren loaded the items back onto the cart as Levi pulled out his wallet to pay for the groceries, glancing over to Eren’s smiling face as he leaned on the rail.

Levi felt his heart begin to race as he fumbled to put his cards back in his wallet and reach for the receipt.

Levi had had such a good time today with Eren, he had managed to make the normally boring trip to the grocery store into something fun and exciting, something Levi could have never done on his own.

Levi wasn’t sure what he would do without Eren, but now that he had him, he was sure he never wanted to lose him.

“Hey, I forgot something, you mind packing up the truck?” Levi asked, pulling out his keys and tossing them to Eren.

“ _You_ forgot something?” Eren asked, an eyebrow raised in disbelief.

“Yes, _I_ forgot something. It wasn’t on the list.” Levi glared playfully.

“I can come with you,” Eren said.

“Nah, you go on, I’ll only be a minute.” Levi smiled, leaning up on his toes to press a gentle kiss to Eren’s lips, uncaring about the people having to swivel their carts around them to pass as Levi melted into the short, sweet kiss.

“Okay. I’ll meet you outside.” Eren nodded, his cheeks a little pink as he pushed the cart toward the exit and Levi made his way back into the store.

Levi knew he spoiled Eren, he thought of the triumphant smirk the younger man would have when he found out Levi had given in to him again, though what did Levi care when the kiss he would no doubt receive would make him weak in the knees.

Thinking about kissing Eren, slow and passionate, when there was no one but them made Levi smile at the familiar, pleasant ache in his chest. He rolled his eyes as he held the wine bottle under his arm and pulled the box of cookie dough Eren had held earlier from the cooler before making his way up to the checkout once more.

When Levi had paid and everything was packed up in a bag that would keep the surprise for Eren, Levi stepped out on the parking lot into the bright sunlight. He could see his truck from here, and he could see that Eren was nowhere near the vehicle. He must have gotten sidetracked somewhere. Thankfully, Levi’s concern about his bubbly boyfriend’s whereabouts were short-lived when he turned to find him just a few feet away. On the merry-go-round. 

Levi was.... baffled, to put it mildly. Sure, Eren’s shenanigans weren’t news to him, not by a long shot, but his 5’7’’ boyfriend squeezed on a pink unicorn with a rainbow-colored mane? That _was_ new, even to Levi. From the view of it, Eren was having a grand time. Levi approached carefully. He wanted to watch Eren when he didn’t _feel_ watched; when he was just being himself. Granted, he felt a tiny bit weird and a tiny bit creepy sneaking up on Eren like this (and the fact that he was half-hiding behind a gumball machine wasn’t helping either), but the view… it was worth it. _So_ worth it, because Eren was grinning from ear to ear - one of those toothy one billion megawatt smiles - as the merry-go-round turned around, a tinny version of an old kids song Levi couldn’t remember the name of playing in the background. Eren’s horse was moving up and down in tune with it. Now that Levi had gotten closer, he could see that the merry-go-round was old and weathered, the paint chipped enough to see the wooden structure underneath. Levi didn’t mind. For some reason, this small detail made the moment perfect; it felt cozy and familiar and like a taste of his youth. This wasn’t the first time Eren made Levi feel young, alive. He loved when he did that, because Levi’s concerns about their age gap? On days like this, they meant nothing. He was just Levi and Eren was just Eren and age was just a number. Levi hugged the bag to his chest while he continued to watch Eren. There were two other kids on the carousel with him, a boy and a girl who sat in an aged fairytale carriage that was attached to Eren’s unicorn. Eren was now sitting on the horse facing backwards to speak to the kids. It was a shame Levi couldn’t make out what he was saying, but whatever it was, it must have been funny because suddenly, the two kids broke out in genuine laughter and enthusiastic nodding. They looked so happy, which in turn, made Eren look happy. Knowing him, he’d probably convinced the two to go on this ride with him. His hair was mussed and his cheeks glowing pink, his oversized t-shirt baring one shoulder. He looked as if he’d just crawled out of bed. He was beautiful.

The merry-go-round came to a halt. Now that the music was off, Levi could hear what the girl said to Eren. “Thank you so much, Eren! This was so cool! I’ve always wanted to do this.”

“Yeah! Mom said we’re too old for that now, but it’s so much fun,” the boy chirped in.

Eren climbed off his horse and helped the two kids down to solid ground.

“You’re never too old,” he said, smiling brightly as he took their hands. “Whatever you want to do, do it. There’s no age limit, okay?”

Again, they nodded, now smiling brightly themselves. Eren waved them off after they’d thanked him once again and then turned towards the parking lot. Where he spotted Levi in his neat hideout.

“Levi?” he said, cheeks flushing with new color. “What… uhm… did you see this just now?”

Levi stepped out from behind the gumball machine and closed the distance, his hand coming up to brush Eren’s cheek all on its own.

“This has to be one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen,” he said quietly. _I love you, Eren._ It was on the tip of his tongue. It would be so easy to say, so _right_ , so what was holding him back? His own vulnerability? Because admitting to loving someone meant opening up to him; it meant needing him. Being vulnerable. Deep down, Levi wanted to be vulnerable when it came to Eren, but his brain obviously hadn’t gotten the memo yet.

“Say that again,” Eren breathed.

For a moment, Levi was stunned. He’d just thought about it, not said it aloud, but Eren’s tender plea to repeat it made him afraid he’d just blurted something so important without meaning to. But then he realized Eren was only referring to Levi calling him cute. Now it was Levi’s turn to blush, though only slightly. He’d learned to control that trait of his a long time ago; since then, Eren had been the only one to revive it every now and then.

“You heard me the first time,” Levi said. Their lips were only inches apart now, and Levi realized how badly he wanted to kiss Eren - right here, in the parking lot of the Restaurant Depot, next to the merry-go-round with its chipped paint and pink unicorns.

“Kiss me,” Eren breathed, breath warm and moist on Levi’s lips, and Levi did. When he leaned in to brush his lips over Eren’s, it was tender and unhurried. Eren sighed into the kiss, his body swaying against Levi’s as if they were magnets searching for their antipole. Eren’s arms wrapped loosely around Levi’s waist, pulling him flush against him. His lips wandered from Levi’s mouth to his cheeks, his forehead, his chin… he kissed Levi’s entire face, worshipped it with featherlight strokes of his lips. Levi really did love him. He loved Eren so much that he was overwhelmed by how deeply he was able to feel, which was deeper than he’d ever thought possible, and that was a beautiful thing.

Eren whined when Levi finally pulled away, Levi putting a finger to Eren’s lips to coax him to stop.

“We’re in public,” he said. “And besides, we have groceries to attend to.”

Eren sighed, obviously reluctant to let go of Levi and his mouth, but then he nodded. As soon as Levi had pulled his finger away from where it was sealing Eren’s lips, he leaned in and smacked another kiss on Levi’s mouth. He was such a cheeky little dork. Eren’s grin was triumphant; Levi rolled his eyes, but internally, he was grinning just as wide.

 

It took them the better part of an hour to wrap up their groceries and put them neatly into the boxes and shelves they belonged in. Eren was a great help, he was attentive and did everything just as Levi told him, and he was being exceptionally clean about it, which earned him extra bonus points in Levi’s book. This was another thing Levi loved about Eren, that he not only accepted, but respected Levi’s high cleaning standards. Not once did he roll his eyes or tell him how ridiculous he was, no. He’d do his best to understand and cater to Levi’s needs. It was marvelous, and Levi appreciated it more than he could possibly tell.

After the groceries were packed away, Eren yawned and stretched until his back popped.

“How about you take a nap?” Levi suggested. “You worked hard today. Thanks for your help.”

Eren smiled. “Anything for you, babe. Thanks for taking me. About that nap… that actually sounds amazing. Are you going to be okay down here?”

Levi snorted good-naturedly. “I’ve been running this shop for quite some time now. I think I’m gonna be okay.”

Eren pulled Levi into a hug and nuzzled his hair. “Okay. Meet me upstairs after checking on the shop? Oh, and please give Jean a good ass-whipping for me.”

There was a sparkle of mischief in his eyes that made them look even greener than they usually did.

“You always ask me to give Jean an ass-whipping and I always say no.” Levi chuckled. “But I’ll see what I can do. Now go.”

He gave Eren’s behind a playful smack and watched him shimmy away, but only after he’d thrown Levi a suggestive wink over his shoulder.

 

Checking in on the shop took Levi a little bit longer than expected. Something was up with the cash register and poor Sasha had been doing mental math all day. Levi was relieved to find he could fix the problem without calling the technician. Then there was Jean, who had, for some reason decided to make apricot shortcakes instead of strawberry ones (“Well, it’s something new, isn’t it? I mean, it’s innovative and… okay, I’m sorry, boss.”), so Levi could at least report back to Eren that Jean had gotten a _minor_ ass-whipping. He’d be so gleeful about that.

The apartment was quiet when Levi let himself in, but there were quiet noises coming from the kitchen. Levi toed off his shoes and stepped into his slippers before he followed the source. When he rounded the corner, he found a very cute and very floury Eren wiping down the counter in a rush. He was wearing a baby blue frilly apron (thanks to Jean’s fabulous ideas for birthday presents) that tied with a huge bow at the delicate dip of his back.

“You’re home already?” Eren huffed, wiping the counter faster. “I’m almost done! Sorry for the mess, I was… making something.”

Now that Eren mentioned it, Levi noticed the faint scent of dough and chocolate in the air. His gaze went to the oven next, where he found a baking plate filled with what appeared to be chocolate chip cookies. Very much like the ones they bought today, actually.

“You baked?” Levi asked.

“Oh uhm, yes!” Eren said, smiling self-consciously. He ran the back of his hand over his nose, leaving a flour smudge. “I know I’m not really great at it, but I wanted to do something for you. You know… for today.”

Eren put the towel away and came over to Levi, taking his hands. His eyes were so bright and intense, Levi felt Eren’s gaze all the way down to his bones.

“I really enjoyed spending time with you today, Levi. Thank you,” Eren said. It was so sincere and so adorable, Levi felt like blurting his feelings right into Eren’s earnest face. Why did he have to be so sweet and attentive and perfect?

Levi was speechless, so Eren smiled and moved on. “Oh, and there’s something else!”

He turned and retrieved a spotless wine glass filled with the red wine they’d bought today. “Here, this is for you. Wine and cookies, our favorite, right?”

Here he was, offering Levi his wine glass, cookies baking away in the oven. Levi had thought Eren wanted the cookies and the wine for himself, when in reality, he wanted both for Levi. For them, together, and it was what did Levi in.

“Eren, I love you.” It tumbled out of Levi in one fell swoop, but it was understandable (he hoped) and it felt so unequivocally _right_. The rush of ‘this moment was wrong to say it’ - the little 'I shouldn't have' - never came.

The smile that lit up Eren’s face was one of the most gorgeous ones Levi had ever seen. It was half wonder, half elation and all beauty.

He put the wine glass away and took Levi in his arms, lips pressing together in the sweetest touch. Levi wrapped his arms around Eren’s neck and just breathed him in; the faint notes of red wine, the lingering sweetness of cookie dough.

Eren’s forehead was touching Levi’s, both of them holding tightly on to each other, when Eren whispered, “Say that again, please?”

Levi smiled against Eren’s lips. Then he pulled back and met those spectacular green eyes again.

“I love you,” he said, because now, it came so easy. It was the most natural thing in the world. “I love you, Eren.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
